"Attack Of The Moon Zombies" is here....

[RJDiogenes]

...just in time for the long weekend.

For those of you who are fans of of Drive-In B-Movies from the 50s (and homages thereof), we have Attack Of The Moon Zombies. This is the latest film by Christopher Mihm, all of which are set in the same growing universe.

The films are quite humorous, but not in the same way as, say, Larry Blamire's movies, like Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra. Most retro pastiches go heavy on the parody, but Mihm plays it mostly straight; if you came across any of these movies on TV, it would take you a few minutes to realize you're not watching a genuine old flick. And, best, he treats his characters with respect; there's an emotional investment that is genuine and gives the audience something to care about beyond a simple homage.

Anyway, my copy of Moon Zombies just came today, so I haven't seen it yet, but I'll be getting to it soonest.

[Terengo]

With a soundtrack in Esperanto!? Count me in!

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Looks like fun, and cleverly written.

Doesn't look or sound a thing like a movie actually made thirty years ago, of course - these wouldn't fool anyone.

[Harvey]

Thirty years ago?

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Harvey wrote:

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Thirty years ago?

What - 40, 50 years ago?

The lighting, sound, and effects work are all recognizably modern video, and the mannerisms and appearence of the actors are completely contemporary. Turning down the RGB on the thing to render it in monochrome does not a "classic movie" make.

You want to see something done with some authenticity and observation and which plays its material just as straight - if not more so - check out stuff like House Of The Wolf Man:

[Harvey]

Oh, I agree with your assessment. Just making fun of my elders while I have the chance.

[RJDiogenes]

Dennis wrote:

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Looks like fun, and cleverly written.

Doesn't look or sound a thing like a movie actually made thirty years ago, of course - these wouldn't fool anyone.

Absolutely right, TM. It doesn't look like anything from 1981 at all. However, it resembles a 1950s B-Movie enough to pass for a couple of minutes (depending on when you tune in, of course).

You're also right about House Of Wolfman, which is very entertaining, though sadly very awkwardly directed.

[RJDiogenes]

Well, I was certainly not disappointed in Moon Zombies. It was as good and entertaining as I anticipated. The casting is great-- Mihm seems to have a knack for that. Mike Cook is as classic a character actor as anyone could hope to find and the rest of the cast is wonderful to watch as well, especially Shannon McDonough and Sid Korpi.

As I noted above, Mihm brings real Human pathos and feeling to the wonderful campiness and cheese of the B-Movie universe. I wish that Sciffy would show these movies and bring them to a wider audience.

[OmahaStar]

RJDiogenes wrote:

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Well, I was certainly not disappointed in Moon Zombies. It was as good and entertaining as I anticipated. The casting is great-- Mihm seems to have a knack for that. Mike Cook is as classic a character actor as anyone could hope to find and the rest of the cast is wonderful to watch as well, especially Shannon McDonough and Sid Korpi.

As I noted above, Mihm brings real Human pathos and feeling to the wonderful campiness and cheese of the B-Movie universe. I wish that Sciffy would show these movies and bring them to a wider audience.

Cheese? What cheese? I don't know what you could possibly be referring to. There's no cheese in Mihm's movies.

Ok, maybe a tiny little bit of cheddar, but that's all.

I'm glad you liked it. I was at the premiere on Wednesday (haven't missed one yet, this was the fourth one for me), and it was completely sold out.

I'm glad you pointed out how great Sid is. She's remarkable, and ... Ok, I'm sorry, but it takes one hell of an actor to pull off the line "All-out space plant zombie attack" and keep a straight face. That line got massive applause.

Now, for those who aren't familiar with the Moon Zombies movie, here's a little info ...

It's the 70s. The President (Jackson, from the previous movies) has a scientific moonbase named after him. The station is full of doctors, including Dr. Vincent Edwards, who is only a few days from retirement.

His replacement, who is the son of a man he once knew back on Earth, is every bit as brilliant, and finds a strange plant in a cave not far from the base.

The plant seems to kill people ... only, they don't stay dead. They become ... moon zombies.

As with all of Mihm's movies, it's an homage to B-movies from the 50s, and is probably his best movie so far.

Sid previously appeared as one of Adam's people in Destination: Outer Space. Here, she plays the station's Administrator.

Shannon previously played Julie Ann St. Marie Jackson. Here, she plays a new character, and she goes platinum blond.

Mike Cook has appeared in every film except Cave Women, though as different characters. He is the most well-known actor, having appeared in series such as Prison Break, and movies such as Fred Claus.

The movies are designed so that they can be watched separately and enjoyed without needing to have knowledge of the others.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Harvey wrote:

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Oh, I agree with your assessment. Just making fun of my elders while I have the chance.

Do it now while we're still around!

[Captain Euphoria]

Really? Knocking me for making movies that aren't "classic enough?" As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't have to be perfect to capture the spirit of those old films and hey, I'm not going for perfection. I'm only trying to make films that are similar ENOUGH to those old movies to be entertaining. That and they only cost me $5000 each. The wolfman trailer that was posted obviously had a HELL of a lot more money to work with than I did. My latest movie was shot in my basement using copious amounts of duct tape and hot glue!